1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to novel use of compounds isolated from Euphorbia neriifolia for manufacturing a medicament or a pharmaceutical composition for treating cancer and/or thrombocytopenia.
2. Description of Related Art
The leaves and/or latex of plants in Euphorbia genus have been used as folk medicines in remote villages and/or tribal areas. For example, latex of Euphorbia nivulia is known to enhance wound healing process in mice, and aqueous leaf extract of Euphorbia nivulia exhibits toxic and insect growth regulatory effects on cabbage diamondback moth (DBM). In recent years, compounds isolated from plants of Euphorbia genus are proved to possess cytotoxicity toward colon cancer cell lines (e.g., MT2 cells) or leukemia cell lines (e.g., CEM cells); and are useful for the development of anti-cancer agents.
In the present study, the medicinal uses of one particular plant in Euphorbia genus, i.e., Euphorbia neriifolia, were investigated, and the inventors have identified two groups of compounds, i.e., triterpenoids and ingol diterpenes, which are subsequently proved to possess different biological activity. Specifically, the isolated triterpenoids may retard the growth of cancerous cells, whereas the isolated ingol diterpenes induce proliferation and/or differentiation of bone marrow cells.